WWIJZ

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WWIJZ is a signage system that incorporates perceptive qualities to support the wayfinding process in hospitals. Signage systems in hospitals are often extensive and cluttered. Moreover, the visitors often feel a bit uneasy or nervous. The project is carried out for the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven. The student builds on the existing routing system and sets out to amend the interaction with it. WWIJZ welcomes the visitor, and, in the course of the interaction, it points out the direction in which the person needs to go. A body moves, as it were, through the index board. All the signs are actuated and act in the horizontal plane. A gentle wave moves through the board to make its presence perceptible. When the person walks by, it will welcome the person by following her. The body focuses on the person by moving the signs the person is standing in front of. When the person focuses on one of the signs, the board only acts locally: it shows the person that it perceives what she is looking at. From this focus point, WWIJZ redirects the focus of the person onto the actual direction the person has to go. The body moves through the index board towards the directional signs that guide the person through the building. Directional signs that the person encounters on her route show subtle active cues to confirm that the person is going in the right direction.